LaManche by way of Great Island

Today Brian, Dean, Gary, Jake, Peter and myself met at Foodland in Bay Bulls to settle on a paddle destination.  Brian had suggested Tors Cove - Great Island - LaManche return.  These are the breadcrumbs.

The weather looked to cooperate so we headed for Tors Cove where we put-in.  It was decidedly foggy.

The fog hung over the hill at Fox Island as we left Tors Cove heading for the islands of the Witless Bat Ecological Reserve.

After paddling along the outside of Fox Island we set our sights on Ship Island a kilometer away.  While it was foggy, the fog didn't hang all the way down to sea level so we could paddle by sight.

Passing by Ship Island we arrived at Great Island, still shrouded in fog.  The sandstone beds of sedimentary rock dip steeply and ...

... are covered with white guano left by the thousands of sea birds that call the Reserve home.

Dean and I checked out this, the first cave on Great Island.  We had to be careful for ...

... the birds circling over head.  Don't look up with mouth open *lol*

Dean and I caught up with the other guys who were checking out this massive cave on turquoise waters.

The fog looked like it was trying to lift as we reached the notch.  The notch is where the sea wore through  weaker bed of sandstone where its clear to see the orientation of the sedimentary beds.

The guys are but specks by comparison with the overhanging rocks.  There aren't many days that this passage can be made but we did it today.

Leaving Great Island behind we crossed back to the mainland.  Still the fog hung on.  I hoped the sun would eventually burn it off and let us paddle in the promised sun, which we did as we reached ...

... LaManche where we stopped for lunch.

Kayaks hauled out but just barely.  There's no beach in LaManche.  I usually haul out on gently sloping rocks covered in seaweed that are a bit kinder on the fibreglass hull.

We sat in the glorious sun to eat our lunch.

LaManche is one of hundreds of resettled communities in Newfoundland that is evidenced now only by its abandoned foundations.

Finally, check out Dean's shots of the paddle here.